Hot and cold compress therapy is an increasingly recognized medical technique for the successful treatment of many injuries. In general, hot compress therapy is used in cases of chronic ailments to relieve pain, increase blood flow, decrease joint stiffness, relieve muscle spasms and cramps, and increase the extensibility of scar tissue. Cold compress therapy is typically applied within approximately 72 hours following trauma or injury (such as laceration, sprains, strains, insect bits, and minor burns) to decrease blood flow, thereby helping to reduce localized pain and swelling. By containing the severity of swelling, cold compress therapy can have a significant impact on the healing process and speed of recovery.
An important factor influencing the therapeutic value of an appliance used for hot and cold compress therapy is its ability to maintain a hot or cold temperature, with minimal temperature fluctuation, for a therapeutically significant period of time--typically about 20 to 30 minutes. Another important factor influencing the therapeutic value of an appliance used for hot and cold compress therapy is its ability to provide a safe and tolerably comfortable level of compression. Other important and advantageous characteristics of appliances used for hot and cold compress therapy include convenience of use (which may be enhanced by providing a custom "hands-off" fit so that the appliance may be worn while the patient remains mobile, and by providing an appliance that may be used on several different areas of the body), and the ability to create a family of hot and cold compress appliances for application to many parts of the body while utilizing a minimum number of differently configured packages of heating or cooling material.
Although hot and cold compress appliances in general are known, none of the prior-known compress appliances adequately meet the foregoing therapeutic and practical objectives.